I-Team questions Baltimore City about high water bills

Councilman: Government at fault for many skyrocketing bills

High water bills are a common complaint brought to the attention of the 11 News I-Team, but no complaint could compare to the one involving a local church that the city billed for invisible homes and invisible water.

High water bills are a common complaint brought to the attention of the 11 News I-Team, but no complaint could compare to the one involving a local church that the city billed for invisible homes and invisible water.Norman Wiley, a trustee at Bible Way Missionary Church in east Baltimore, really wanted the I-Team to see nothing, to show that, in fact, 25 homes no longer exist."(There's) nothing here, and it's all paved over," Wiley said.Wiley said the church is being billed for "every house that was originally here."Ten years ago, the church purchased 25 mostly Port Street properties from Baltimore City, which had demolished the blighted homes, making way for three parking lots for parishioners.But somehow, the city continues to send the church water bills. A recent bill was for $1,200 and it even shows a meter reading. The total owed to the city is more than $20,000."There's nothing here but parking lots. There (are) no homes anywhere in this block, and no water meters," Wiley said.Esther Maxey has a water bill for almost $24,000, and she only shares her Weaver Avenue home with her elderly mother and a cat."I told my mother and the cat, my cat's name is Company, to stop filling and emptying the Olympic swimming pool in our backyard," Maxey said.Both Maxey and Wiley said that despite numerous calls and trips to the Department of Public Works, they can't get the massive bills resolved.Baltimore City Councilman Jim Kraft fields dozens of similar complaints."You can go down the rabbit hole and never come out," Kraft said.Kraft said the problem is bureaucracy, irregular billing cycles and mathematical errors."The skyrocketing bills, a lot of that is the fault of the government," Kraft said.It seems like staffing has got to play a part in this. There are 13 call center agents to handle questions about water bills, but there are 400,000 accounts for water bills, meaning that each agent juggles some 30,000 accounts.DPW spokesman Jeff Raymond said hidden leaks are often to blame."Just because a bill is high, even wildly high, doesn't mean that it's wrong," Raymond said.In the case of the church, it appears the only blame falls on city government itself, because the agency that sold the property to Bible Way failed to tell the agency that bills for water that 22 homes were gone."It should have been abandoned even before the church bought them, and apparently that was not the case," Raymond said. "It really should have been done by the city."As for the bills that showed an actual meter reading, Raymond said that remains a mystery."We have to get it fixed with the church, because as you know, there's nothing there, there's no water consumption," Raymond said.Wiley is relieved that he doesn't have to pass the church plate to collect for invisible water from invisible homes. Last week, Wiley learned the city is waiving all the water charges associated with the non-existent homes, and the city is also crediting the church $6,000.As for Maxey, the city forgave her massive bill after she fixed a leak, but she had been telling them for months that the work was complete.App promotion article footer

BALTIMORE —

High water bills are a common complaint brought to the attention of the 11 News I-Team, but no complaint could compare to the one involving a local church that the city billed for invisible homes and invisible water.

Norman Wiley, a trustee at Bible Way Missionary Church in east Baltimore, really wanted the I-Team to see nothing, to show that, in fact, 25 homes no longer exist.

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Wiley said the church is being billed for "every house that was originally here."

Ten years ago, the church purchased 25 mostly Port Street properties from Baltimore City, which had demolished the blighted homes, making way for three parking lots for parishioners.

But somehow, the city continues to send the church water bills. A recent bill was for $1,200 and it even shows a meter reading. The total owed to the city is more than $20,000.

"There's nothing here but parking lots. There (are) no homes anywhere in this block, and no water meters," Wiley said.

Esther Maxey has a water bill for almost $24,000, and she only shares her Weaver Avenue home with her elderly mother and a cat.

"I told my mother and the cat, my cat's name is Company, to stop filling and emptying the Olympic swimming pool in our backyard," Maxey said.

Both Maxey and Wiley said that despite numerous calls and trips to the Department of Public Works, they can't get the massive bills resolved.

Baltimore City Councilman Jim Kraft fields dozens of similar complaints.

"You can go down the rabbit hole and never come out," Kraft said.

Kraft said the problem is bureaucracy, irregular billing cycles and mathematical errors.

"The skyrocketing bills, a lot of that is the fault of the government," Kraft said.

It seems like staffing has got to play a part in this. There are 13 call center agents to handle questions about water bills, but there are 400,000 accounts for water bills, meaning that each agent juggles some 30,000 accounts.

DPW spokesman Jeff Raymond said hidden leaks are often to blame.

"Just because a bill is high, even wildly high, doesn't mean that it's wrong," Raymond said.

In the case of the church, it appears the only blame falls on city government itself, because the agency that sold the property to Bible Way failed to tell the agency that bills for water that 22 homes were gone.

"It should have been abandoned even before the church bought them, and apparently that was not the case," Raymond said. "It really should have been done by the city."As for the bills that showed an actual meter reading, Raymond said that remains a mystery.

"We have to get it fixed with the church, because as you know, there's nothing there, there's no water consumption," Raymond said.

Wiley is relieved that he doesn't have to pass the church plate to collect for invisible water from invisible homes. Last week, Wiley learned the city is waiving all the water charges associated with the non-existent homes, and the city is also crediting the church $6,000.

As for Maxey, the city forgave her massive bill after she fixed a leak, but she had been telling them for months that the work was complete.